In one embodiment, the present invention relates to ostomy appliances and in particular to medical tapes used to attach an ostomy appliance to a body. An ostomy appliance is a device used to collect waste material that exits a person's body through a stoma. The term "stoma" refers to the surgically created hole in the skin and the attached end of the bladder, conduit, or intestine. The stoma provides an open conduit through which a constant or intermittent efflux of waste material occurs. The surrounding skin area is termed the "peristomal area." A great challenge exists to comfortably and reliably connect an ostomy appliance to the peristomal area.
Currently, tapes used for securing medical devices such as an ostomy pouch to a patient are formed from generally non-elastic nonwoven webs or plastic films or webs which cannot be directly heat bonded to the ostomy appliance. Plastic films are often used where protection of the underlying skin from moisture, urine or fecal material is critical. Unfortunately, the most common plastic films used for this application are essentially impermeable to moisture vapor, and do not allow the skin to "breathe."
Cymed, Inc. (Hayward, Calif.) manufactures an ostomy pouch comprising a urethane film tape for securing the pouch to the skin. However, this film tape is not porous (hence its moisture vapor transmission rate is lower than optimally desired). In addition, the urethane film is only heat bondable to other urethane surfaces, and therefore, requires a separate means of bonding the tape to the pouch. U.S. Pat. No. 4,681,574 (Eastman) is believed to generally describe this type of ostomy pouch.
It would be desirable to have a medical tape that is suitable for directly securing a medical device to a patient's skin. The tape should be suitable for long term wear on skin (e.g., have high moisture vapor transmission rate, air porosity, elasticity and conformability) and should also be suitable for directly securing to the ostomy bag (e.g., have heat bondability with an ostomy bag film).